Computer Maintenance Checklist – Happy Computer Tips

Computer Maintenance Checklist

Do you perform routine maintenance on your PC?

Do this computer maintenance checklist once a month. If you notice that your computer has been running slower since you first got it, you probably aren’t doing much or any PC maintenance. No matter what your level of tech know how is, this checklist explains everything and tells you how to perform the monthly computer maintenance you need.

Do this easy checklist once a month and you and your computer will be happy and running smooth. Best of all you’ll prevent most computer problems and prevent computer lag too.

Be sure to do this monthly PC maintenance checklist, schedule it on your calendar.
Photo: This is a computer maintenance checklist for your company’s computers:

Monthly PC Maintenance Checklist

Let’s get started. Bookmark/Print this page so you can follow along once every month.

1. Update your Anti-Virus and Malware Definitions:

It’s important to make sure your anti-virus software and Anti-malware software is up to date. I like to use eset and Malwarebytes. This keeps your computer safe and secure. Your virus and malware definitions guide your computer to recognize the difference between a good and bad file. As new viruses and malware are discovered everyday, they’re logged into the virus / malware definitions file. The more up to date this file is, the better chance your computer will be able to defend itself from a virus or malware. Many new anti-virus software has a built-in feature that automatically updates, make sure this is turned on, if not. Find your antivirus or malware icon in the bottom right corner of your screen > right-click on the icon > click on check for updates (or just open your anti-virus and click update.

2. Perform a Complete Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware / Spyware Scan:

When was the last time you scanned every file of you PC? If you can’t remember, do it now. Be sure your system if free from any trojans, viruses, or any other malware, spyware, keyloggers, ransomware, etc. You could potentially have something lurking on your computer, quietly running in the background. You want to run both your anti-virus like eset and also an anti-malware such as malwarebytes. (you can even try their free version which is great! for both Mac and PC)

3. Update Windows:

Have you heard of Patch Tuesday? Windows releases important updates for your PC every Tuesday. These patches cover up any security holes, keeping your system up-to-date and protected. How to update windows: go to Start > All programs > windows update.

4. Backup Data:

If you’re not backing up your data daily, at least do a monthly backup. The easier it is to recover from a situation like ransomware or disaster, the happier you’ll be. You’ll want to at least backup all your files to an external hard disk, USB flash drive/ USB hard drive (for free) or to the cloud. For cloud backup, there’s some wonderful software that can perform this automatic backups for you. Backing up your data is probably the most important item on this computer maintenance checklist.

5. Update your Installed Software:

Along with updating Windows, make sure your third-party software is up-to-date. The most important ones you want to check are usually: Java, Flash, and Adobe Reader because they’re the most targeted in cyber attacks. To update these such as Adobe Reader, launch the program > Click on Help

6. Clean up the Hard Drive:

Your computer will run much smoother and faster simply by running a disk cleanup. Your computer hard drive will ineffectually store data after it reaches a certain point. Soon, a file may get stored in multiple locations on the hard drive. This increases the time it takes for your computer to find or display files. This is why Microsoft includes a defragmenter. This is like going to a mechanic for a tune up and oil change. Your computer has many temporary files that need to be removed along with offline web pages, etc. You will also need to compress any old files. Just like packing away your off season wardrobe.

You can clean this up simply by going to: Start > All programs > Accessories > System tools > Disk cleanup.

7. Delete and Organize your Files:

Does your desktop look like a mess? Perhaps you saved documents or images to the desktop without organizing or perhaps saved them there temporarily. Now your important files are mixed with your temporary files. It’s not a fun scene when you start up your computer. It’s also time to empty your recycle bin. Just organizing and removing files from your desktop will make it less overwhelming when you’re looking for an email attachment to send or document to open. Just taking time to organize your documents and files help you save time in the near future.

8. Uninstall old/ unused Programs:

Keep only the programs you actually use. If you have programs such as games that you used once or any programs you don’t use regularly – it’s time to uninstall. This keeps your computer clutter free and optimized. Uninstall simply by: Start > Settings > Control panel > Add or remove programs

9. Clean Out the Dust:

Keep your fans dust-free to prevent overheating and hardware failure. Once a month, use a q-tip to clean dust around the vents. And if it’s been a long time since you did this, you may need to open up your computer to remove dust too. This may be a project for your weekend. Unplug your computer, bring it to your garage and as long as you have the technical know-how open your PC case and carefully use a can-of-air to get the dust out of the crevices.

Don’t take a can of air and blow into the machine unless it’s uncovered. This can force the dust and bigger dust bunnies deeper into the PC. Also, don’t use a vacuum, the static charge from a vacuum can cause more harm than dust.

Also, clean out the dust from your keyboard. Turn it upside down and shake loose any crumbs, next, spray a can-of-air into the letters. This helps keep the keys from getting stuck and working smoothly.

Wipe down your monitor, gently clean off any finger prints from the screen and any dust, Take a microfiber towel and dust of the screen.

Keep germs away. If you share your computer, you’ll want to keep some anti-bacterial wipes nearby. Wipe down your mouse and keyboard. Always make sure these wipes are not dripping and only slightly damp.

10. Keep your Chords Neat:

Use small cable ties to organize your chords. Tie small bundles of cables together, this neatens up the look of many distracting chords that can look messy.

Schedule Monthly PC Maintenance

This is a simple and easy computer maintenance check list and it’s all you need to do to keep your computer running like new.It may not be fun doing all this 10 item computer preventive maintenance checklist, but it’s better than doing a computer troubleshooting checklist. Right? Schedule once every month to perform PC maintenance. Putting in a little time to properly care for your PC will help you prevent problems like malware, viruses, blue screens of death, you name it.When you keep your computer maintained, you can extend the life of your PC. Many people just get a new computer once theirs starts to slow down and have issues like frequent crashes etc. Imaging being hit with ransomware and losing all your files because you simply didn’t take the time to back up your computer.

What’s the most important item on this monthly PC maintenance checklist? Backing up your data.

Save your data on an external device. Save online to a cloud and have a physical copy of your important data. There’s times where some data is not able to be recovered. Your precious photo memories, Important essays, years worth of music downloads, work related data all lost. Either your data became encrypted or a case of malware occurred. It may seem overwhelming to backup your data monthly, you might even need a daily data backup method.

Don’t have time to do this computer maintenance checklist? We can do it for you.

Contact us for Professional PC Maintenance Services

Have your computer maintained by a professional. We’re a managed IT service company in San Diego, your one stop shop for all your computer needs. Learn more about our computer maintenance checklist services. Give us a call: (619) 325-0990

Like these PC tips? Be sure to pin this monthly PC maintenance checklist on pinterest. Thanks.

Do you have any tech tips for routine computer care? Please share them in the comments.

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5 Comments

Marius
on August 28, 2016 at 3:58 pm

How but using Linux or Mac and you’ll never need this list again. Simple and secure.

This looks more like a punishment. Imagine doing this every time you turn on your PC. The only reason to keep windows is games.

Thank you for acknowledging that it is a good idea to clear cache and cookies. Why isn’t the general public informed that this should be done regularly as normal maintainance to keep computers/devices running smoothly.